Thursday, November 17

I was re-reading Harry Potter, and Fantastic beasts and where to find them books to be prepared for the movie that is getting released and was surprised to find so many similarities between certain parts of the book and the things that is happening with the election.Now that the election is over people still seem unhappy. This is just like the raise of the dark lord and these quotes really sum up the state of mind of the people.

“Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right"

Did Dumbledore travel in time, see the scenario that was to happen in the 2016 election and then quote it? Whatever be it, people seem to have chosen the easy in the 2016 American election.

“It is important to fight and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay though never quite eradicated.” we must be willing to fight against the evil whether it is corruption, black money or racism . Never give up hope when all seems hopeless.

Sing the Phoenix song as it is reputed to increase the courage of the pure of heart and to strike fear into the heart of the impure.“What’s coming’ will come, an’ we’ll meet it when it does.”."The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.Voldemort claimed that Muggle-borns were actually Muggles who stole magic from real wizards and witches, rather than actually inheriting it rightfully and so deserved to be punished for it- Sounds familiar? just replace Muggles with immigrants.“Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”May the Magical congress of the United states of America save the land from Snatchers, werewolves, giants, Dementors, and Acromantulas, and save the muggles from pure-blood supremacy. Afterall "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light."

Monday, November 7

Add a little green space to your home or even a small little room with the eye catching terrarium.Planning the tropical plants inside the glass container is really fascinating. It is perfect for the winter as there will be no need to step out, and they can be placed anywhere.

Terrariums are easy to plant and they dont need any special skills to look after as well. The plants in the terrariums do not need a lot of water, so they are super easy to care for.

What is a terrarium?

it is just like an aquarium. Replace the fish with plans such a succulents and water with the soil. Isn't it cool?

I have always wanted to own a terrarium. But when ever i checked it out online or searched them in stores, they where a little costly. So i decided to try my hands making one of them.

So i collected the the things needed as mentioned above. Here is a step by step instruction of how to put them together.

Clear the glass jar/bowl of your choice and add the materials one by one in the following order.

Friday, October 21

Snail
mails are always special. Waiting for the postman to give a post card
or an envelope
having your name in it is such a pleasure. The only post that I get
these days is the telephone bills. The best thing about anything
handwritten is you can pick it up and have a look at it at any time you
want and cherish it.

We
are all now the Slaves of the E-king (Electronic King). There’s no need
for that extra
bit of effort. Take a photo and post in online or if you want to mail
someone use the E-kings service. But the real happiness of receiving
something hand made with carefully drafted words in it with the most
beautiful image on the other side is just out of
the world.

.According
to the Indian postal
service website, “a postcard must be 14 cm × 9 cm (length and breadth).
Privately manufactured post cards shall not be thinner or more flexible
than an embossed post card, and will have the same size and thickness of
embossed post card. “.

These are the hand made post card print of the Shiva series that was going on in the blog.

Wall hanging of the prints

Om Namah Shivaya

Shiva series prints- Front side

The post Cards are Themed:1.Jagadeesa- Master of the universe2.Kailasa-One Who Bestows Peace3.Nataraja-King of the art of dancing4.Rudra-The terrible5.Shoolin-One who has a tridentLike the Prints? Contact me to own your own print.

Print an image or make your own art or show your creativity on
one side of the post card, On the other side of the card,
be sure to leave the right half for the address and postage. Write your message on the left half the card.

Try it one weekend. Make a postcard and send it to a friend. Post Cards are a treasure of memories...

. But the real happiness of receiving
something hand made with carefully drafted words in it with the most
beautiful image on the other side is just out of
the world.

Friday, October 14

I have Recently found a serious interest in lord Shiva. Looking at the pictures, reading the shlokas, listening to songs that talk about Shiva , brings in an unexplained calmness and a rush to do more and to learn more.

So i thought of doing a Shiva series where i can bring life to the cosmic power in the form of art.

Monday, October 3

I have Recently found a serious interest in lord Shiva. Looking at the pictures, reading the shlokas, listening to songs that talk about Shiva , brings in an unexplained calmness and a rush to do more and to learn more.

So i thought of doing a Shiva series where i can bring life to the cosmic power in the form of art.

Monday, September 26

Starry skies inspire hopes and dreams. Look at the sky and just ask for a wish!

The sky is beautiful when there is no light and pollution. So the best place to do night sky watch is the country side. The best night sky watch that i had was in the Yellowstone national park.It was amazing.

Inspired by the night sky in the country side, i came up with a painting on Canvas.

Wednesday, September 14

Dollar store has become one of my favorite places to shop form my DIY Crafts items. With a bit of creative imagination, DIY interest and a nearby dollar store you would be amazed with what can be done with basic items.

Add a bit of style to you home with just a dollar.

Boho wall hanging:

Things needed:

1.Popsicle sticks

2.glue.

Cost of making: 1$

All you have to do is arrange the sticks in the pattern that one wants and stick them together. Your boho wall hanging is ready!

Art from waste

Things needed:

1. can lids.

2.glue

Cost of making: 0$
Just stick the lids together and color them to pop them out. They form beautiful wall hanging!

Monday, August 22

Origami is the art of folding papers.Origami sometimes can surprisingly calm you and help you focus on the minute foldings and details. I found my new interest in origami and have been experimenting with new ways to use it.

I love 3D structures. They not only add dimensions to the empty space but also looks amazing when arranged and kept in the right place. I wanted to try my hands with 3D Origami paper foldings ,hence decided to make this 3D triangle wall hanging.

You can also arrange these 3D triangles on a flat surface in the design of your choice and hang them in the wall.

Monday, August 15

Dollar store has become one of my favorite places to shop form my DIY items. With a bit of creative imagination and a nearby dollar store you would be amazed with what can be done with basic items.
Add a bit of style to you home with just a dollar.

Thursday, August 4

Sometimes it's the smallest tweaks that make the biggest change at home. These hacks solve the common dilemma but also elevates the home style. These simple ideas will not cost a lot, and a little creativity can make the home refreshing and interesting.
The first part of this series can be viewed here and here.

Key holder

Things needed:

Photo frame

Color paper

Sticky hooks.

Glue

Steps:

1. Remove the picture present in the photo frame and place some colorful paper of your choice.
2. Use the double sided tapped hooks and stick them to the frame.
3. your personalized key hanger is ready!

Earring Organizer Things needed:

Foam board

Jute wire

Jute mesh roll

Markers.

Glue

Steps:

1.Cut a foam board to the size of your choice.

2.Use some sketch pens and decorate the plain foam board.

3. Roll the jute mesh all over the foam board and stick them together.

4. Time to flaunt your beautiful earring collections

Newspaper Basket.

Things needed:

old newspapers

glue.

Steps:

1.Cut out some paper strips and start rolling them tight into pipes or like straws. Stick the edge. Roll them again in the shape of a circle.

2. Make approximately 25 of them and start sticking them together in the shape of a bowl.

Yes folks,
Superstar is back and back with a bang, as he announces his supremacy in the
box office with his latest crime drama- Kabali, after a two year sabbatical.
Written and directed by Ranjith of Madras fame, Kabali is all about an ageing
gangster, trying to save his gang’s slowly dying grasp over their rival gangs,
and the consequences that follow in doing so. The cast of Madras, combined with
Superstar and Radhika Apte, enliven this heavy and violent drama.

The film
scores in areas of story, direction and screenplay. The story concentrates on
the lesser seen side of a gangster, the emotions involved in being such a big
and powerful person in the society and the harsh realities that one such person
has to face in order to be in that position. The characters are scripted well,
with enough depth and drama, as the genre demands. The unfolding of the events
in the first half, was handled really well by the director, giving snippets of
information about the characters before they are introduced on screen.

The narration
of Rajni’s rise to his position and his rivalries during his rise, was neat and
descriptive. The cast, does a good job overall, in bringing out the story.
Rajni stands out with his performance, and carries himself with the required
status and maturity throughout the film. The support cast adequately aid the
story and have stood out in their performance. Another plus point was the music
in the film, scored by Santosh. It sets the scene beautifully and packs a punch
to the stern ideologies projected in the film. Be it Rajni’s intro or his
emotion, Santosh always had a ball in the bag for him. Also, a special mention
to the costume designer Anu Vardhan, for bringing out Rajni’s stylish and suave
look. Overall, the production design work was very neat and showed that a lot
of money and effort was put into it.

The film fails
in its ability to finish off completely. One might walk out of a theatre in the
end, with some unanswered questions. The villains in such a film should play a
crucial part, but here they fail to satisfy that criteria, as it is more of a
Superstar’s show. Kishore role, in particular was well scripted and enacted,
but it is not enough as his Taiwanese counter-part becomes a disaster. Also the
film sets off well, during the initial half, but does not carry forward the
mojo in the second half. The director seemed to ran out of ideas, and dragged
the film to an unnecessarily violent ending. Similarities to Tarantino’s works
and some older gangster films are smitten throughout the script. The second
half as such, was not handled with the same care as done in the first half. An
overhaul of violence and emotions and some inconsistencies, do drag the entire
affair.

On the whole,
Rajni and the story have their moments in this costly and fiery drama, but the
fire doesn’t glow with all its glory.

Monday, July 18

The great smokys is Americas busiest national park. Most people see the park from the mountain-skimming scenic highway. You can always pull off the road,park the car, and stroll one of the quite walkways.

When to visit:

In summer and in fall. Time your visit to mid week and arrive early. Hit the Sugarland visitors center and grab a free map of the smokies. That makes the drive and the planning a lot easier. Don't expect to have good cell phone reception when you drive through the park.The map comes in handy then.

Day 1:

Take the Newfound Gap road to Clingmans dome to get the best sweeping views of the park by seeing it from the highest point. Reach early to beat the heat, avoid the crowd and to get a good parking spot.

From sugarlands, stop after 5 miles at Chimneys a spot where you can go on a self guided Cove Hardwood Nature Trail. A short drive from there takes you to the Chimney tops overlook, which offers views of the double summit called 'Duniskwal-guni' which means forked antlers.

Here a trail to the chimney tops which is 4-miles round trip takes you through old-growth forests and sheer cliffs. They are steep trails. So leave at least 3-4 hours for the trail.

Depending on the time and stamina, you can also hike at the next overlook,where a trail head leads to a steep climb to Alum Cave Bluffs. TheTrail begins with an easy 1.3 miles trail along a tree-bordered creek to Arch Rock. Then comes the steep, rugged 1 mile ascent to the bluffs.At one point the trail skits a cliff face so sheer that you might need to hold the cable along the sides to climb the way up.

View from the view points

View from the view points

Alum Caves Arch rocks

Trek to the alum caves along the stream

Alum cave bluffs

P.S: The alum cave trail leads to Mt LeConte, Which is the park's third highest peak. There is a LeConte Lodge atop the Mount. It is a cabin type lodge with no electricity and shared bathrooms. They provide 2 meals. We did not summit this but spoke to few people on their way down.

Jump back in the car and continue on to the Newfound Gap, through which runs the Tennessee-North Carolina state line and the historic Appalachian Trail. Make an effort to retrace the Appalachians along this trail.

Appalachian Trail

View of the north carolina

The next stop would be the Clingmans Dome. From the parking lot, a steep 1 mile trail leads to the lookout tower, where you can get the panoramic view of the entire park!

Don't forget to pack energy bars, Gatorade and the adventurer in you!

Day 2:

After the hectic first day , we spent the second day by doing white water rafting along the upper pigeon river. It was a calm river for the most part with few 4 level rapids - thrilling and relaxing at the same time.

Pigeon river

In the evening, we drove along the Cades Cove Loop Road. Follow Little river and Laurel Creek Roads for 25 miles from Sugarlands Visitor center to the Cades Cove Loop Road.

The Medows

The cabins built in 1800's

Day 3:

Visit Gatlinburg and pigeon forge

P.S: All the pictures are taken in my phone camera. So pardon the picture quality.